U.S. Marines and French Legionnaires Tackle Desert Warfare

In the scorching expanse of California's Mojave Desert, U.S. Marines and French Foreign Legionnaires recently wrapped up a significant training evolution that's shaping allied interoperability. Service Level Training Exercise (SLTE) 4-25, held from August 4 to 25 at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California, saw Marines from the 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, team up with the Legion's 4th Combat Company, 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment, part of the 6th Light Armored Brigade. The training represented is a gritty test of shared tactics, equipment interoperability, and force-on-force clashes that echo the two organizations’ storied joint history.

The exercise kicked off with gear familiarization, where both sides demoed unmanned aerial systems for recon and weapons handling. The training heated up with urban combat scenarios at Ranges 225 and 220, dubbed Operations Rattlesnake and Coyote. Legionnaires and Marines honed room-clearing techniques, nighttime infiltrations, and coordinated fire support from artillery and air assets. A highlight from the exercise was certainly when Marines from 2nd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (or “ANGLICO) worked with their Legionnaire counterparts through simulated urban assaults, helping to blend multinational mission-oriented doctrine with combined arms precision.

The capstone was the Marine Air Ground Task Force Warfighting Exercise (also known as “MWX”), a massive force-on-force scrum involving over 5,000 troops (which included Republic of Korea Marines). Here, the French company seized key terrain like Quackenbush Pass, enabling follow-on assaults on "Hidalgo City" (a mock urban battlefield). Motor transport operators braved punishing conditions to resupply lines, showcasing the grit that binds these warriors. From the Legion's view, the joint prep featured demanding urban drills and night missions, culminating in realistic scenarios that mirrored modern threats.

This collaboration isn't novel. Rather, it builds on years of partnerships, formalized in 2019 when the 6th Marines and France's 6th Light Armored Brigade became sister units via a memorandum of understanding. That pact has sparked seven joint events since 2013, rooted in legacies like the Battle of Belleau Wood in World War I. Earlier in 2025, Exercise Chesapeake off the U.S. East Coast saw Legion detachments from the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment and 13th Demi-Brigade integrate with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit for amphibious assaults and personnel exchanges, emphasizing seamless naval operations across the Atlantic.

The outcome for this training is  enhanced readiness for expeditionary operations, with leaders praising the "shared warrior spirit." Col Neil Berry, Commanding Officer of the storied 6th Marines Regiment, presented a plaque to 4COY of the French Foreign Legion to recognize their warrior spirit, highlighting how these drills forge bonds that could prove vital in real-world crises. As global tensions rise, such integrations ensure allies can fight as one - proving that in the desert's forge, old alliances emerge stronger than ever.